Avery Dauer (sophomore) has amassed over 6,000 followers on his comedy Instagram account, @averydauercomedy, in addition to over 7,000 subscribers on his comedy YouTube channel. He is a member of Oxymorons, Occidental’s stand-up comedy show, as well as The FANG, a club that produces an Occidental-oriented satire magazine.
Despite his longtime affinity for comedy, Dauer said his work in the medium is a more recent endeavor.
“I’ve been a fan [of comedy] since I was 6,” Dauer said. “I grew up on old comedy vinyls that my parents had, and I watched a lot of stand-up as a kid. But I didn’t start stand-up until I was 19, and I’m 21 now.”
Dauer said his first experience performing stand-up made for a viral moment.
“My first time on stage in that context was at Adam Ray’s show at the San Francisco Punch Line,” Dauer said. “He crowd worked me for a little bit and ended up bringing me up onstage to tell a few jokes. The video went crazy, and I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve gotta do this now.’ I’ve been doing comedy for just over a year now.”
Dauer, who is a transfer student, said location played a major role in his decision to attend Occidental.
“I moved to LA to do comedy,” Dauer said. “I came to Oxy to be in the city. There’s three meccas for comedy in the United States: LA, New York and now Austin. I had already lived in New York before and didn’t want to be cold […] I decided that Oxy was a little more my speed.”
As a new student at Occidental, Dauer said his experience thus far has been positive.
“I’m still pretty new,” Dauer said. “I’ve only been here for seven or eight weeks. But the experience has been good, everyone’s super nice. I’m not the biggest fan of moving, but it’s been cool.”
Jojo McCabe (sophomore) said Dauer’s contributions to Oxymorons have been positive.
“He came to the first show and totally killed,” McCabe said. “It was very cool. It’s always good to watch him perform.”
McCabe said Dauer’s experience in comedy is an asset to the club.
“Oxy Morons is very beginner friendly,” McCabe said. “That’s something I appreciate about it. But there’s a lot of space for people who have done comedy before, and he fits in very well.”
Anna Pruyn (junior) said Dauer’s has made admirable contributions to The FANG’s community.
“Not all of us want to go into comedy,” Pruyn said. “But there’s a shared enjoyment of comedy and writing. [Dauer] definitely brings that […] He’s really passionate about comedy.”
Pruyn said she hopes Dauer’s online presence can bring attention to Occidental’s comedy groups.
“We’re really trying to get FANG more known in the Oxy community,” Pruyn said. “I think there’s already been a lot more attention and interest around it.”
After moving to LA, Dauer said his comedy schedule was altered since he is yet to find a home club.
“Comedy is one of the most unreliable sources of income and regular booking when you’re not famous,” Dauer said. “I used to go out three times a week and do open mics and stuff like that. Now that I’m back in school, I don’t have as much time, so I go to the Comedy Store on Tuesdays for Roast Battle — just to network.”
Despite the adjustment period, Dauer said he is optimistic about his future schedule.
“I’m hoping to do more shows,” Dauer said. “Now that more people I know are moving to LA and I’m meeting new people, I’m hoping to do more mics and get booked.”
Dauer said his comedic methodology differs from the current standard, since many comics tend to be negative.
“Comedy is a big thing now in culture,” Dauer said. “Especially in a negative way […] All of my comedy is centered around my disability. I’m not an observational comic, but I use my life experiences and spin them into funny anecdotes.”
Dauer said his goal is to provide a new perspective on disability and directly confront stereotypes about disabilities.
“Maybe the next time [audience members] interact with someone with a disability, they’ll treat them a bit differently,” Dauer said. “Or if they have less critical thinking, they’ll do the exact same thing [as before]. But that’s not up to me.”
Dauer said he hopes to continue doing roast battles at the Comedy Store.
“I’m a part of the Roast Battle League,” Dauer said. “It’s a worldwide [trash] talking league where you say rude things to each other. I want to keep doing that. I battled for the Bay Area team for a year, and now I’m in LA. So we’ll see if I have to switch teams.”
Dauer said he hopes to become a more consistent comedic writer as he establishes new connections.
“After a year, you should have five good minutes onstage,” Dauer said. “Any comedian that’s been doing it a year and says they have an hour doesn’t know what they’re talking about. So I’m just taking it slow, meeting people and hoping they think I’m funny. So we’ll see what happens.”
Contact Mac Ribner at ribner@oxy.edu
